Some of you may have noticed my two curious status updates on facebook today. Here's what happened:

For some back story, before I knew for certain that I had this job, I was told I would probably have to help hire a new sports editor because our one of 40+ years was either going to die very soon or realize he should probably retire. Because he was there for so long, our publisher wasn't going to dare force him out.

Hank died today.

I found out just as I opened and started to read an e-mail.

As you all should know, I'm looking for somewhere to live. If you don't know that, you aren't reading this journal closely. I know a few people who are also apartment hunting in various places and one of them is getting out of a horrible/stupid roommate situation. Although I made a post online about wanting to live alone in some small place, I got a pitch to take a room in the exact situation my friend is living in to the point that, if it were the same city, I would have been completely sure it was the same people.

I wanted to laugh. Oh, I wanted to laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh and LAUGH. But at that exact moment, I was told that my technical employee, a frickin' institution in this area for decades, was dead. At the moment, I can't think of anything that could have made this any more awkward for me.

It took all of my power to keep silent. I couldn't say anything. Nothing at all. I knew that if I opened my mouth, I would be the asshole who laughed when he found out this guy he never met but was near and dear to everyone else in the room died no more than 45 minutes before. I don't think I would have been able to explain why that otherwise run-of-the-mill e-mail would have caused such an outburst of laughter. I wouldn't. I probably wouldn't have been able to catch my breath long enough in enough time before people got deeply offended to explain that I was laughing at an e-mail.

This could have been the most embarrassing moment of my entire life.

And that's what happened at 4:08 p.m. Tuesday.

What is it with my new job and Tuesdays and why is it starting to feel like a sitcom?

At least I have fun stories about work nowadays.

I just noticed that, for two days in a row, I've been up till 1 a.m. I had a 20-ounce bottle of Mountain Dew with lunch both days at about noon. I either need to go back to 12-ounce cans or Do the Dew for breakfast.

Oh, and tomorrow is my dinner interview for a room that apparently has already been rented. Since it seemed a bit convoluted to me in the e-mail, I don't think I can explain exactly what's going on except that this has at least two levels of FAIL involved.